Protein supplement
- Thread starter JunQ
- Start date
Many roaches will eat each other if not given a protein source.
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Cornelius
First Instar
Dried dog food is definitely recommended as part of their diet. I feed my roach dog food and fruit, which fully completes his nutritional requirements. Just make sure the dog food doesn't have a ton of meat in it, as roaches will stink a lot more when they're fed meat. Personal experience.
Salmonsaladsandwich
Eleventh Instar
Hmm, I keep my roaches mostly vegan but dry oatmeal constitutes the majority of their diet. 10 grams of protein in 1 cup of oatmeal, I wonder if that's enough. I haven't noticed any cannibalism issues except that they eat their dead, although tiny nymphs could be gobbled up all the time and I'd never know... I don't feed them cat food because they're used as feeders for amphibians.
wcbpolish
Seventh Instar
If your colony is not too large, just pick up free samples at your local pet store. The one near me has little sample bags out to take all the time. Every time I am there I pick a couple up. One serving for a dog is MANY servings for roaches. Plus, I'm getting the "high end" foods rather than cheap stuff...
Just a thought.
JunQ
First Instar
Thanks for your tip! I have 6 G.oblongonota and 5 H.tenebricosa . There's PETCO and PETSMART nearby.. but I can't find any sample bags.
wcbpolish
Seventh Instar
Hmm... ok. I go to a little family-owned store that sell high-end food. They give out samples because they want people to buy their high-end foods.
Sorry that didn't help.
JunQ
First Instar
NoNo I found it. I bought a sample size dog pellet at Petsmart! That costs only $2.11
wcbpolish
Seventh Instar
You might also try posting an ad on Craig's list -
"Wanted - leftover dog/fish/reptile food for my insect colony. Clean, dry food only. Expired is OK. No cat food please"
You might not want to mention the word "roach" though... it might turn people off.
Ranitomeya
Second Instar
If you use dog food or any other type of food commonly kept in containers that are not completely airtight, you need to be aware that sometimes they are infested with grain mites.
Krissim Klaw
Second Instar
But the expressions the workers make when they ask you what type of dog you are feeding and you answer roaches is priceless.
dragonfire1577
Third Instar
I give my orange head roaches shrimp pellets for fish they love them and I think they are why my orange heads have such bright orange colors compared to many others I've seen
Fingerlakefeeders
Third Instar
I am new to this site and joined this site specifically to shed some light on some common misgivings about roach nutrition. I have kept a number of species of tropical roaches over the years and have extensively researched their nutritional needs. After reading dozens of research studies, most available online or through various university resources, I have come to the conclusion that the vast majority of available species do not need high protein supplementation. In fact, higher protein diets are counterproductive and not good for roaches. I always supply my roaches with wood, dried leaves, rolled oats and barley (both fiber rich with adequate protein), and always have either carrots, winter squash or sweet potato available for moisture. Simple and very effective. No dog, cat or fish food - and the inevitable preservatives that are present whether listed or not. Do a Google search "cockroach protein urea pdf", choose the result that reads "The cockroach Blattella germanica obtains nitrogen from uric acid..." Give it a read before you decide whether or not to feed your roaches inappropriately.
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Urko2013
First Instar
Cheers for that info, im switching from a dry dog food based feed to a good rabbit food mix (16% protein)with some butter nut squash now and again.
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Matttoadman
Blatta
Would the salt content be an issue in rabbit food?
Fingerlakefeeders
Third Instar
Agreed. Salt content is higher than ideal. Rabbit pellets are essentially corn, soy alfalfa, grain waste products, salt and are vitamin/mineral fortified. You would be ahead feeding just the corn, soy and alfalfa in their less processed forms. However, based on my research of the anti-nutritional factors in all three of those ingredients, you would be better off with oats and barley as your dry feed.
Salmonsaladsandwich
Eleventh Instar
Most people report no problems with feeding protein. Someone on here had dubias and other roaches live a very long time feeding them protein regularly, and they definitely love eating it and it makes them grow faster and breed more. I'm doing an experiment where I feed dubia nymphs different diets, one group is being fed 100% cat food and they're growing much faster and seem healthier. Additionally I have a container of excess males being fed nothing but cat food. Only a few have died (old ones with broken off feet) and at least one has been in there since august. The only problem with feeding too much protein is that the uric acid probably isn't good for herps that eat the roaches. Also pet food often has some pretty nasty stuff in it. So I feed my feeder colony oats. But I've seen no real evidence that it harms the roaches themselves. Has anyone done a study on blaberid roaches? I'm not convinced they even store uric acid like the Germans in that paper do. Maybe they've evolved around it. Bear in mind that many of the larger species live in bat caves and eat mostly bat guano and dead bats. Bat guano is 54% protein.
Fingerlakefeeders
Third Instar
I follow the old adage that just because you can, doesn't make it right or good. As far as the cat food, you may be on the right track. I know of several aboriginal tribes in the Amazon that feed cat food to all the roaches in the jungle. Joking aside, if it works for you, go for it. As for me, I will trust my 30 years of keeping roaches and watching the long term effects of both good and bad diets.